


Icarus, Icarus (You Flew Too High)

by lovelyirony



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: (i mean he always is but like. emphasized this time), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Awesome James "Rhodey" Rhodes, BAMF Pepper Potts, Gen, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark at MIT, M/M, but sarcastic >:), i mean obviously his parents were GREAT, i say hi to canon on my way past the tollbooths while i don't pay to use it, or that time rhodey decided to be competent, tony is a drama queen but also for good reason
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:09:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26226931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovelyirony/pseuds/lovelyirony
Summary: You can't keep Tony down. Especially not when Rhodey decides to get involved.
Relationships: James "Rhodey" Rhodes/Tony Stark, Pepper Potts & James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark
Comments: 7
Kudos: 86





	Icarus, Icarus (You Flew Too High)

**Author's Note:**

> anonymous prompt on tumblr. thanks for stopping by, let me know what you think at the end!

_“There is a kind of tragic joke. You can’t really keep a man down -good but often otherwise- because history’s mechanics are built to keep him from climbing toward the top. Somehow, Icarus gets to be reborn as Iron Man.” -Wesley Morris_

When Tony was young, he didn’t think that limitations really ever mattered to someone like him, and…he was right. They didn’t matter. 

The Starks were a family you never crossed because one overly-polite tone of disapproval from Maria Stark could send your social pedigree reeling. Just one scoff from Howard Stark sends your whole world plummeting. 

And Tony? 

Well…he learned both sides of the coin. There’s no telling what kind of damage he would do if he cared about others enough to. 

At least, that’s the picture he paints for all to see. The mediums he use are just _fascinating_. 

When Tony was little, he was the darling of American media. Whip-smart but in the “aw gee mister” _Dennis the Menace_ nature that earned a ruffle of the hair, a disapproving-but-gentle-smile from his mother. 

Outside of the cameras, Tony was left alone. His mother would much rather dedicate her time to her socialite friends, trying to rejuvenate the feeling of youth that had fled so long ago, rushing in expectations of adulthood that she was loath to accept. 

His father wanted to focus on a man that was left on faded posters, advertising war bonds and a solution to a war that involved far more than anyone wanted to admit. Howard Stark much preferred to look through the world with amber-tinted glasses, and he didn’t much care if his son had a different tint. 

The thing about Tony as a child was this: he really was naive. Looking back on it, he should’ve seen his parents’ faults. 

But when you’re a kid, and when you watch TV shows and you read books for kids your age, all of the pictures and words depict parents as loving. 

So you think yours are too. 

Or, you think that maybe they’ll love you if you do the right thing. You don’t really know what the right thing is, so then you look towards one thing you should never look to: perfection. 

Maybe if you can get straight A’s, your mom will look at your report card and she’ll be proud. 

Maybe if you can perfect the robotics of one of the machines that your dad has been having trouble with, he’ll take an interest in what you have to say about the possibility of mirror technology for planes for the military. 

Neither of these work. 

So maybe if you look perfect. Maybe if you never have a hair out of place, maybe if you attain the everyone-wants-to-be-me status your parents will notice. 

And they won’t. 

They never do, and Tony? Well. 

Sometimes, people realize that it is not their fault that their parents are terrible people. Others don’t, and they internalize that. They think it’s their fault. 

Tony works hard. He studies everything, and he just wants _someone_ to love him for himself. 

And then he goes to college. 

Thrown into a situation where there is no parent to impress but they’re still hoping that the heir of Stark Industries makes good decisions. 

And he does. 

He’s nice to everyone and any time any of the staff wants him to go for any publicity stunt, he does. He wears slacks and button-downs and drags himself out of bed and brings extra pens for giddy autographs and answers _every single question _comparing him to Howard with a glittering smile.__

__Tony’s so fucking tired. He’s just…it’s all too much._ _

__He doesn’t do anything drastic, of course. No, too many eyes on him for that. Doesn’t want to become the next celebrity shut-in for a “delicate constitution” and “stress from work” or whatever bullshit his mom will sell to the papers to make sure that his legacy stays untainted from any malicious words._ _

__But he does sit outside at two in the morning. Doesn’t matter if it’s pouring rain or snowing or so bitterly cold that after about twenty minutes he doesn’t feel his fingers._ _

__There’s a person at the front desk who sees him every single time he goes outside._ _

__James Rhodes, who did not originally want the night-owl shift, but got guilt-tripped into it because Hope needed to help her mom at her house._ _

__So now, here he is._ _

__Staring at Tony Stark, who still wears the button-down shirts and slacks outside and doesn’t carry a fucking umbrella._ _

__Jesus, it’s fucking _depressing_. He’s pretty sure he’s not supposed to be sad at the front desk for someone else’s sake. _ _

__The next time, it’s a torrential downpour. Thundering and lightning comes crashing, and the windows shake with the noise._ _

__And there he goes._ _

__Except before he steps out, comes back soaked, James does the only thing he can think to do:_ _

__"Tony Stark, you get your ass back in here,” he says._ _

__He knows he shouldn’t have said that._ _

__You say one thing to a rich white kid and you’re down the drain._ _

__Tony Stark just looks at him._ _

__“What?”_ _

__“Get inside. You don’t need to go outside for anything.”_ _

__“I didn’t know you noticed.”_ _

__“You’re really the only person who comes here at two in the morning.”_ _

__“I am?”_ _

__“Well, besides people at parties on Friday nights.”_ _

__“Oh.”_ _

__“Why do you go outside?”_ _

__Tony freezes. It’s not a question he wants to answer._ _

__“Why do you work so late?”_ _

__“No one else wanted to.”_ _

__“Oh. Why did you decide to work on-campus?”_ _

__“Flexible hours and I don’t have to drive anywhere.”_ _

__“That sounds nice. Are you really going to stop me from going outside?”_ _

__There’s another clap of thunder, white flashing all across the room from the windows, the windows themselves shaking. The rain pounds harder._ _

__“I think if you go outside you’ll come back looking like a drowned rat, and you really don’t wanna look like that.”_ _

__“And what do I want to look like?” Tony asks._ _

__“I don’t know,” Rhodey says. “But drowned-rat-look was _so_ two years ago.” _ _

__Tony cracks a grin at that._ _

__“Can’t argue with that flawless logic. I’ll see you later.”_ _

__And he walks off, as casual as can be._ _

__Thunder still shakes the building._ _

__But James is a little bit more at peace._ _

__-_ _

__And then._ _

__Of course there’s an “And then” portion._ _

__Howard and Maria Stark die._ _

__It was a car crash, an accident. James avoids seeing the papers that don’t seem to care how graphic the pictures are, they’ll show it._ _

__He doesn’t know how to approach Tony Stark about this predicament, but everyone else, it seems, is just _dying_ to, so-_ _

__Oh god. Yeah. Bad timing._ _

__Tony Stark does not come down the stairs at two a.m. for a week. For more than half of that week he is back home. But on the last day, he is there._ _

__He looks tired. Which of course he looks tired. He’s had people shove cameras in his face and he probably had to go over wills and estate hearings or whatever it is he needed to do._ _

__“I’m not coming back,” he tells Jim._ _

__“For the year, or for a long time?” he asks, because that kind of thing is something he’d like to know._ _

__“Ever. They don’t want me to start running the company.”_ _

__“Why not?”_ _

__“They say I’m too young. But that’s not the real reason.”_ _

__“Okay.”_ _

__And James leaves it at that. Because he is very much so not looking for any drama, it’s already drama enough that Tony’s parents died and there are already conspiracy gossip magazines just running with it._ _

__Tony is CEO, or at least co-CEO. He graces the covers of _Forbes_ and _Vogue_ and any other magazine that has any sort of interest in him. _ _

__Another “and then” moment:_ _

__He goes missing._ _

__He said he was ready for more responsibility, according to an article from _Forbes_. _ _

__(What? James can keep up with news.)_ _

__Tony Stark was ready for more responsibility, to prove that he could do what everyone said he couldn’t, to prove that he could further a legacy he didn’t want in the first place._ _

__So there was the Jericho missile. The demonstration went fine, all things considered by the US military report._ _

__The problem was that the cars got hijacked and Tony Stark was presumed dead._ _

__Ah._ _

__Another American society family gone to history books, and James Rhodes knew one of them at least on a somewhat personal level._ _

__He wasn’t going to _tell_ anyone. _ _

__At least not until he needed to pay off a loan or something. He’s not even sure what people would do with the fact that Tony Stark was a night owl who liked spending time outdoors._ _

__Maybe it’s because James Rhodes is gearing up for the military (at least, he thinks?) or maybe it’s because when he can’t go to bed he spends his time watching conspiracy videos and he shouldn’t do that, especially with all of the misinformation out there._ _

__People don’t think that Tony disappearing was a coincidence. It makes sense._ _

__Months after his parents death, and he assumes the role of CEO a year earlier than anticipated?_ _

__Obadiah Stane has been working at that company for Tony’s entire lifetime and then some. It had to sting knowing someone without the “proper” years of education and familiarity would take over and maybe ruin whatever it was you had planned._ _

__So James Rhodes is kind of Concerned._ _

__-_ _

__“You’re doing _what_?” His mama says over the phone. _ _

__“I’m not gonna join Air Force,” Jim says to his mother._ _

__She’s been trying to convince him not to for about a solid year now. The reason she gives him is that he’s a damned fool who would probably get sent home with a broken foot or something anyways. He rolls his eyes at this._ _

__(The real reason is that she doesn’t want to see an American flag draped across a coffin she shouldn’t have had to consider.)_ _

__“So what made you change your mind?” Dad asks._ _

__“Career opportunity. I’m going to work at Stark Industries.”_ _

__“Doing what?”_ _

__“Research and Development, plus a little bit of testing. I’ve been talking with a couple of friends.”_ _

__“Which friends?”_ _

__“You don’t know them, Ma.”_ _

__“Why not?”_ _

__James lets out a frustrated breath._ _

__“Because they’re from _college_.” _ _

__“Doesn’t mean I don’t know them.” Mama scoffs, and he can hear her moving around the kitchen._ _

__“You-I’m not gonna argue. You don’t know them, I do, and I’m going to see if I can get hired at Stark Industries or not. I’ll call you as soon as I get news.”_ _

__-_ _

__Stark Industries is hiring him as soon as he walks in for the department. With Tony gone, they need all the help they can get, even from someone with almost no experience._ _

__He learns._ _

__He learns a hell of a lot._ _

__He learns that Howard Stark was a fucking asshole who had no idea how anything worked, and everyone loves Tony because he’s fun and hardworking and he knows what the company needs._ _

__James hasn’t forgotten the message._ _

___They say I’m too young to be CEO. But that’s not the real reason._ _ _

__He doesn’t know what Tony means by that._ _

__Until Obadiah Stane starts talking. He’s always had a loose tongue, it’s part of why many SI employees can jump ahead of the curve on decisions and pick up loose ends._ _

__“The boy was always a jokester,” Obadiah says to his old colleagues, the ones who reek of cigar smoke and outrageously expensive alcohol. “Never wanted to play it seriously, and that’s how it was with the Jericho, you know? Just like his old man, Anthony was.”_ _

__He gets a bad taste in his mouth._ _

__Tony was never someone to joke, at least not all the time. He had quips for the cameras, but he never once spoke out of turn. He was almost impossible to get a negative reaction out of, had never really had any press scandals that James knew of. No one spoke about anything if it had happened._ _

__James decides to do something that is most definitely illegal, and will most likely make him homeless:_ _

__He accesses files that he’s not supposed to. Files on Stane’s computer, files that no one else has access to besides a remote access somewhere in Afghanistan._ _

__Tony Stark._ _

__Sitting in a ripped up tank top, blood all over him. He’s looking to the camera with a sort of determination._ _

__Obadiah should be turning this into the FBI or CIA or whatever underground organization there is._ _

__But he isn’t._ _

__Which means that he probably paid for this to happen, and now there’s something to be done._ _

__-_ _

__“What are you doing in this office?”_ _

__James’ head snaps up to see the PA of Tony, Pepper Potts. Said to have the fury of all the dragons in the world, impeccable fashion sense, and a competency that would scare off God._ _

__James is terrified._ _

__“Um. I kind of got evidence against Stane.”_ _

__“You found the files too?”_ _

__“Yeah? Wait, you _know_? Please tell me you’re not on his side.” _ _

__“He wouldn’t ever be my choice of an ally,” Pepper says, wrinkling her nose. She whips out a flash drive, tapping some things into the computer before shutting it down. “No, you’ll be helping me get my old boss back. I refuse to quit, I _hate_ job hunting.” _ _

__James is pretty sure that this is not the only reason, but job-hunting does suck._ _

__There are voices coming down the hallway. Pepper freezes._ _

__“What should we do? I’m not getting fired, oh my _god-_ ” _ _

__Obadiah walks into the hallway with the higher-up offices, and there’s Rhodes and Miss Potts discussing some sort of thing that the R &D department probably needs marketing help on. _ _

__He doesn’t notice Pepper slip a USB into her purse, thinking it’s lipstick._ _

__Obadiah always jumps to conclusions far too quickly, Howard used to tell him that that was what was going to do him in._ _

__-_ _

__The US military takes care of it. Or someone like it._ _

__Pepper knows someone named Phillip Coulson, which sounds honestly like a name that shouldn’t be the name of an American man._ _

__“We’ll get him back as soon as possible,” says Mr. Coulson, who has a bland smile that betrays nothing and makes James feel uneasy._ _

__-_ _

__Tony comes back in one piece. He comes back with bonus material._ _

__Rhodes shouldn’t have thought that. But now he has, and that is that._ _

__Pepper Potts made him come onto the tarmac with her._ _

__Tony stills._ _

__“What the absolute _hell_ are you doing here?” _ _

__There’s no heat to the statement, can’t be when he’s as exhausted as he is._ _

__“Moral support,” Pepper says. “He also works for you, I thought that’s how you knew each other.”_ _

__Tony gives Rhodes a hard look._ _

__“Sure.”_ _

__They’ll have a discussion later._ _

__-_ _

__He shuts down weapons-manufacturing. Rhodes can see Stane’s eyes glint with anger from where he’s standing._ _

__“We’re all just tired,” he says, chortling as if Tony coming back after being captured for three months is all one gigantic joke that’s just waiting for the punchline._ _

__“No,” Tony says._ _

__For the first time in his life, he says _no_ for himself. _ _

__“I’m not tired,” he states plainly. “Well, I’m tired of sand in my hair.”_ _

__Cue uneasy laughs._ _

__Tony continues on. “I have been complacent for too long. And I want my legacy to not be a continuation of my father’s, but a _better_ legacy. Which is why, effective immediately, weapons manufacturing is being shut down.” _ _

__Flash go the cameras, and Rhodes doesn’t know how he’s swung it, but he’s helping stuff Tony into a car, and _that can’t be-__ _

__It’s a burger._ _

__“You want fries or something?” Tony asks. “You can have fries. I don’t really like the fries they serve, not my deal.”_ _

__Rhodey eats a cold fry that honestly sucks, but it’s better than no food at all._ _

__“You’re back and you’re already causing a Mount-Everest-level of work,” Pepper says. “I’ve missed that.”_ _

__“What, they’ve been boring you to death?”_ _

__“Nearly,” she says. “Let’s get you home.”_ _

__James is not sure what to do in this situation. Because he probably shouldn’t be going to his technically-boss’s-place-of-residence, but he’s kind of gotten caught up in the drama of this whole situation, and he’s not sure if he remembered to get his apartment key from his office._ _

__Tony Stark keeps looking at him._ _

__“Why did you…? I thought you were going to fight for the Air Force or whatever. I didn’t think you wanted a job with us.”_ _

__“I didn’t,” he says simply. “But you said that they didn’t want you to be CEO, and it wasn’t just because you were on the young side. I figured that you needed someone to at least find out.”_ _

__“Did you think I was dead?”_ _

__“I was about seventy-five percent sure you weren’t,” James says._ _

__“And why is that? Because I’m an inventor?”_ _

__“No. It’s because you would go out in freezing temperatures for an _hour_ in nothing but slacks and a white button-down in college, which was weird. What were you doing, anyways?” _ _

__“Not important,” Tony says. “Pepper, can you order more food? I’ve dearly missed American cuisine and all the sodium.”_ _

__“You need to go to a hospital.”_ _

__“Yeah, not happening.”_ _

__“And why is _that?_ ” _ _

__“I’ll…” Tony sends a look to James._ _

__“I’ll tell you when we get home,” he says quietly._ _

__“Do you have a phone I can use for a taxi ride?” James asks._ _

__“You can take one of my cars.”_ _

__James has seen the various articles on Tony Stark’s ever-growing car collection. All of them are worth more than his entire life, and he is petrified of them._ _

__“I can call a taxi.”_ _

__“What, scared you’ll screw up the paint job?”_ _

__“Scared I’ll crash.”_ _

__Tony laughs, and then winces. It seems that something’s weighing on him._ _

__“That’s the least of my worries. I’ll set you up with a Ferrari, then.”_ _

__“That doesn’t make me feel better.”_ _

__“It should! It’s my least favorite.”_ _

__“And you still _have_ one anyways?” _ _

__"They tend to be for appearances only, although occasionally they can get the job done. I wouldn’t take one for a road trip.”_ _

__-_ _

__So James is driving a Ferrari and trying not to die, even though his boss told him he wouldn’t._ _

__He makes it home and leans against the wall of his apartment._ _

__His neighbor had stared at him._ _

__“You get a pay bonus or something?”_ _

__“Or something, Clint. Or something.”_ _

__“Okay, okay, I get it. No questions asked.”_ _

__-_ _

__Returning to work is…an ordeal._ _

__“You bought a _Ferrari_?” Wesley asks, looking over the car. “How? I thought you _hated_ them!” _ _

__“I do, and that doesn’t change anything,” James says. “Now hands off the car unless you want Tony Stark himself to smite you down.”_ _

__“He wouldn’t smite me down,” they scoff. “At the most, he’ll give me a strong talking-to that in no way rivals my mother’s reactions to anything I do.”_ _

__James grins, laughing._ _

__“I’d hate to meet your mother.”_ _

__“Believe me, so did I.”_ _

__The conversation is cut short by Pepper entering the offices._ _

__“Rhodes, with me please?”_ _

__“Of course,” he responds._ _

__For a few moments, there’s nothing but the click of Pepper’s heels and the steady thump of Rhodes’ work boots._ _

__“So. What’s going on, Ms. Potts?”_ _

__“I need you to sign some NDAs.”_ _

__“For?”_ _

__“…you’ll find out.”_ _

__-_ _

__James is led to Tony’s personal work workshop, which is something incredibly fun to say twice as fast as you normally would._ _

__There is also something protruding from his chest, and Rhodes just stares._ _

__“So, is this like. A new thing?”_ _

__“Relatively,” Tony says dryly. “I didn’t have it in college, safe to assume.”_ _

__“I would’ve felt a bit like an idiot if you had had it and I failed to notice.”_ _

__“Well, now you know. Pep, the paperwork?”_ _

__Rhodes is slipped quite the stack of sheets, and is handed a pen that probably costs more than his pair of shoes._ _

__“So, what’s the reason for this?”_ _

__"Well, you’re getting an NDA for this thing, and for a couple of other things,” Tony starts out. “I’m going to be letting you in on a secret that no one can find out about. And if they do find out, you are not going to like what I do to you.”_ _

__“Noted.”_ _

__“Meet me for dinner at seven,” Tony says. “Bring the car back, won’t you?”_ _

__“Gladly, so long as you don’t call me Jamie.”_ _

__“Not a nickname kinda guy?”_ _

__“Not _that_ nickname kinda guy,” he says with a wince. _ _

__Tony smiles._ _

__“And Rhodey?”_ _

__“I suppose I can’t petition for Jim?”_ _

__“I know far too many ‘Jims’ in my lifetime, darling.”_ _

__He doesn’t know how to feel about this, any of this. He doesn’t think his life is in danger, or else Pepper might have a sharper smile on her face like when she’s about to tear apart someone she doesn’t like._ _

__His boots make a steady rhythm on the floor as he exits, and he wonders if he should fill up the gas tank all the way as a courtesy. (When a man is richer than God, maybe, you ask a lot of questions.)_ _

__-_ _

__James Rhodes, for once in his life, does not know what to wear._ _

__Usually, the nicest outfit he ever wore was a suit to his grandparents’ funerals, and then for church or any other event it was a polo shirt or a button-down and black pants with reasonably nice loafers._ _

__Tony Stark probably has on a suit that is more than a very nice, reasonably priced used car. Which is quite a lot, in Rhodey’s opinion._ _

___Oh god. He’s started thinking about himself with the nickname._ _ _

__He settles on a dark green button-down with no tie, and he drives the Ferrari about five miles under the speed limit and causes quite a bit of trouble for traffic. People honk. Someone in a lifted truck calls him a name that was really quite creative and unexpected._ _

__He arrives in one piece, which is a great deal._ _

__Tony is lounging in jeans and an old t-shirt, and Rhodey feels a bit guilty about his own outfit choice._ _

__“Sorry for the…shirt. Here are your keys.”_ _

__“What’s wrong with your shirt? Looks great from where I’m laying,” Tony says, a hint of a grin on his face._ _

__“You want some pizza?”_ _

__He relaxes slightly._ _

__Tony Stark is a very guarded man. His shoulders are tense even though he’s reclining as if he’s relaxing, and he’s looking at Rhodey with a look of curiosity._ _

__“So, why am I here?” Rhodey asks. “Besides pizza and returning car keys.”_ _

__“We can get to that soon. For now, pizza. And talk with Pepper.”_ _

__Pepper comes in, holding a wine bottle and balancing three wine glasses expertly in the other hand._ _

__She has to be a magician or a goddess or something. There’s no way someone can be that grateful. She also looks like a model in simple red shorts and an over-sized t-shirt advertising some old running event._ _

__“I see you forgot to tell him the dress code,” Pepper says. “You want a different shirt, Rhodes? It’ll be easier for later.”_ _

__“If I could,” he says, slowly. “What’s it for?”_ _

__“Green not your color?” Tony asks, eyebrows raised._ _

__“No, but button-downs aren’t my favorite.”_ _

__He eats a piece of pizza and makes small-talk about pizza toppings. Tony loves pepperoni and absolutely hates Canadian bacon._ _

__“It is ham, call it what it is, and then never put it on pizza again,” he whines._ _

__Rhodey smiles._ _

__“I still stand by green bell peppers being the worst.”_ _

__“Have you ever had good pizza?” Tony asks. “I don’t think you have, otherwise you wouldn’t be saying those things.”_ _

__Pepper chucks a t-shirt at Rhodey._ _

__“It might fit a bit tight, but it should be fine.”_ _

__“What exactly is this for?”_ _

__Tony turns away as Rhodey changes into the shirt. He looks again when it’s all on, and Rhodey’s shifting a bit. It _is_ a bit tight, but not bad. _ _

__Tony is staring._ _

__Rhodey does not notice this, because sometimes Rhodey is very bad at observations._ _

__“Come with me,” Tony says. “I’m about to show you what will be, I think, the world-changing thing.”_ _

__“A thing?”_ _

__“A thing,” Tony says with a smile. “My legacy.”_ _

__Inside is a treasure trove of toys and machines and Rhodey can see Dum-E, the robot that had been submitted to a robotics contest at MIT. He didn’t know he was still around._ _

__And then, the opus magnum of it all:_ _

__(At least, Rhodey thinks.)_ _

__“This is a flyable suit of armor,” Tony says. “And I need to make an offer to you.”_ _

__Rhodey turns, looks at him._ _

__Tony breathes in, breathes out._ _

__“My father’s legacy was building weapons for the war, helping out wherever he could. He’s been hailed as a hero for years, and I was expected to fill his shoes. And I tried, I really did.” His face hardens as he looks down at the blue light emanating from his chest._ _

__“My attempt at becoming my father was perhaps the worst thing I’ve ever done, because it resulted in innocent lives being lost and my own ignorance to become someone I should never have been in the first place. This? This is the answer to it all.”_ _

__“And what are you hoping to get out of me?” Rhodey asks._ _

__“Flying lessons.”_ _

__“Flying lessons,” Rhodey deadpans. “You just built a knight-in-armor with jets or whatever, and you want me to give you flying lessons.”_ _

__“Well, it’d be helpful,” Tony says. “You nearly went into the Air Force. You have to know more than most.”_ _

__“Only sometimes.”_ _

__“Better than never,” Tony says._ _

__“Why me?” Rhodey asks. “You could’ve asked anyone with military clearance or someone that knows you better.”_ _

__“You never once questioned me in college,” Tony says simply._ _

__Rhodey stares._ _

___“That’s_ your reasoning?” _ _

__“The reason why I’m his PA is because I didn’t bullshit on wrong answers, and Happy–his driver–got hired because he liked him more than other people,” Pepper says. “He has good intuition.”_ _

__Rhodey takes another look at Tony._ _

__He looks determined._ _

__And he looks like he knows what he wants to do, and he’s going to make his own path._ _

__Rhodey can’t lie. He can’t say he doesn’t want to be there for that. He can’t lie and say he isn’t itching to get a look at the suit design, see where improvements can be made._ _

__He takes a deep breath._ _

__“So,” he starts, grinning, “When do I get my own suit? Can’t let you have all the fun.”_ _

__Tony cracks a grin._ _

__“Let’s just try this one out first, pilot.”_ _

__Rhodey grins, looking at the progress. Tony grins back, just as wide._ _

__“Well,” Rhodey says, nearly giddy. “Let’s start the future.”_ _


End file.
